Here's What a Potential Contract For Hye-Seong Kim Could Look Like For Seattle Mariners

While it's just informed speculation at this point, here's what the M's could need to dole out for the Korean infielder.

Team South Korea infielder Hyeseong Kim (3) celebrates with the dugout after scoring a run against Israel during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Yokohama Baseball Stadium in 2021. / Mandi Wright-Imagn Images

On Monday, MLBTradeRumors put out their annual list of the 50 best free agents in baseball this season. Juan Soto heads the list, as he's coming off an incredible season with the New York Yankees. He also hits the market at just 26 years old, an extreme rarity in today's game.

Sitting at No. 26 on that list? Infielder Hye-Seong Kim, who is set to be posted and come over from the KBO. Now, there are four personalities that make up the MLBTR team and two of them predicted that Kim would sign with the Seattle Mariners. The other two predicted that he would sign with the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels, respectively. The speculation is all well and good, and Kim is being connected to the Mariners a lot early on, but what we're interested in most right now is the contract projection.

MLBTradeRumors is generally spot on with their arbitration numbers, so the contract predictions can certainly be counted on to be in the ballpark, especially for the top free agents.

The prediction on Kim? Three years and $24 million.

All the team predictions, all the analysis, all the contract projections....

....it's the MLBTR Top 50 Free Agents listhttps://t.co/6IxZxdWN2X pic.twitter.com/UHSeJ4ZbKz

— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) November 5, 2024

Now, that's certainly a number that the M's can afford, and if that's truly the number, Kim is a player they should be interested in. The M's don't appear to be big players on the free agent market this offseason, so a player only making $8 million a year has to be in their price range. Furthermore, Kim has the potential to be an impact player for Seattle.

Just 25 years old, he brings a contact and speed profile that the M's can drastically use. After leading the league in strikeouts for most of the season in 2024, the M's need to do a better job at simply putting the ball in play. He's also said to be an excellent defender.

Still just 25 (26 in January), he’s coming off a strong season in which he slashed .326/.383/.458 with career-best marks in home runs (11) and strikeout rate (10.9%).

Kim has to be posted before the Mariners can entertain signing him, but even with an associated posting fee, he's a guy the team should seriously consider. Second base has been a black hole for the franchise ever since the 2018 trade of Robinson Cano.

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